The EASIEST way to make TAMALES Con MASA PREPARADA | TAMALES DE CHILE COLORADO

pork

🥗Healthier: chicken

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Chicken is leaner, while ground beef is often less expensive.

masa harina

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: all-purpose flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber, while all-purpose flour is more accessible.

Clean the 35 New Mexico chili pods and 7 Chile Ancho.

Cover the chiles with water in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat.

Transfer the boiled chiles to a blender.

Add 1 piece of onion, 10 garlic cloves, oregano, cumin seeds, peppercorn, and salt to the blender with 6 cups of water.

Blend until smooth.

Return the blended chili sauce to the stove over medium heat and heat up a little lard.

Add the chili sauce to the pot and bring to a simmer, tasting for salt and adjusting if needed.

Reserve 1.5 cups of the chili sauce for the masa.

Mix the reserved chili sauce with shredded meat (pork, beef, or chicken) and allow it to cook for 15 minutes.

Set the filling aside to cool down.

Heat up broth and render fat until melted, reserving 24 oz of the fat.

In a bowl, mix 8 lb of plain Masa preparada with baking powder and salt.

Add the rendered fat to the masa and mix, folding it inward to incorporate air.

Add the reserved chili sauce to the masa and mix again, incorporating air.

Add 3.5 cups of broth to the masa and mix until fluffy, checking if it floats in water to determine readiness.

Allow the masa to rest for 20 minutes.

Soak corn husks overnight and spread masa on the soft side of the husks.

Place filling in the center, fold the sides of the husk over the filling, and fold the bottom up to seal.

Repeat with remaining masa and filling.

Place tamales in a steamer pot, cover, and steam for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Check if tamales are done by seeing if the masa peels from the corn husk.

Remove tamales from the steamer and let them rest for 5 minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: